'I was unsure if I was going to make it out of it': Wounded St. Tammany deputy talks about shooting

'I was unsure if I was going to make it out of it': Wounded St. Tammany deputy talks about shooting

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Updated: 10:00 AM CDT May 8, 2018

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WEBVTT >> I LAID THERE AND THOUGHT ABOUT A LOT OF THING THAT WAS ONE THING I WAS UNSURE OF, IF I WAS GONNA MAKE IT OUT OF IT. MICHAEL: THOSE THOUGHTS CAME JUST MOMENTS AFTER DEPUTY JUSTIN NAIL HEARD HIS SHERIFF’S OFFICE TEAMMATES IN A NEARBY POLICE CHASE. HE JOINED PURSUIT, WHICH ENDED HERE IN GOODBEE, WITH A SHOOTOUT BETWEEN DEPUTIES AND THE SUSPEC THE DEPUTY, SHOT IN THE ABDOMEN. >> WHERE THE PAIN IS AT NOW, THE MAJORITY OF MY TORSO IS KINDA SORE. ONE OF THE BULLETS WENT IN BY MY BELLY BUTTON, AND IS LODGED IN MY RIGHT PELVIC AREA. MICHAEL: AFTER HOURS OF SURGERY AND A WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL, THE 11-YEAR VET, RELEASED TO HIS LENGTHY ROAD OF RECOVERY. >> THE PHYSICAL ASPECT, I FEEL LIKE IT’S MY OBLIGATION TO GET BETTER. I NEED TO GET BETTER WITHOUT GOING TO PART -- TO FORECAST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED. BUT I ALSO HAVE A JOB WAITING ON ME, AND I CAN’T WAIT TO GET BACK OUT THERE AND DO IT. MICHAEL: FOR NOW, HE’S IN THE HEALING PART OF THE RECOVERY. NEXT UP IS REHAB, AND ULTIMATELY, HE PLANS TO GET BACK BEHIND THE BADGE. ALL OF THIS, HE CLAIMS, NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY. >> WALKING FURTHER AND FURTHER, AND GETTING UP AND DOWN ON MY OWN, FROM THE SUPPORT AN -- I THINK THAT IS ALL FROM THE SUPPORT AND THE PRAYERS THAT I HAVE RECEIVED. MICHAEL: NAIL SAYS HE RESPONDED TO THE CHASE THAT MORNING, DESPITE HIS SHIFT BEING OVER, BECAUSE IT’S HIS JOB. AND THAT’S PART OF HIS PERSONAL BELIEFS, AND REASONING WHY HE JOINED THE MILITARY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BEGIN WIT >> IF I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THAT IS ALL I WANT. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE AND INTERACT WITH THEM AND DO WHAT I CAN TO MAKE OUR POLITY OF LIFE YOU’RE A LITTLE BETTER. MICHAEL: HE PLANS ON GETTING BACK OUT THERE, BUT WILL LET THE HEALING PROCESS RUN IT’S COURSE

Deputy Justin Nail has been with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office for 11 years. He said the shooting on Easter Sunday was the scariest moment of his career.“I laid there and thought about a lot of things,” Nail said. “I was unsure if I was going to make it out of it.”Nail was in his driveway around 4:30 a.m. April 1. His shift was over, and he heard his teammates responding to a nearby police chase. He joined the pursuit. Moments later, gunfire erupted at the end of the pursuit in Goodbee.Nail was shot in the abdomen. Deputies rushed him to the hospital, where he underwent surgery.He was later released to begin what he says will be a long road to recovery.“I feel like it’s my obligation to get better. I have a job waiting on me, and I can’t wait to get back out there and do it," he said.Nail said he decided to pull back out of his driveway and help his fellow officers because it's his job, and it has always been his personal mission to help others. That is why he joined the military and chose a career in law enforcement."There’s people out there that go above and beyond. That's what I wanted to be. I wanted to be out there," Nail said.Despite a deputy’s worst nightmare becoming his reality, he plans to put on the badge again, after letting the healing process run its course.Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!

COVINGTON, La. —

Deputy Justin Nail has been with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office for 11 years. He said the shooting on Easter Sunday was the scariest moment of his career.

“I laid there and thought about a lot of things,” Nail said. “I was unsure if I was going to make it out of it.”

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Nail was in his driveway around 4:30 a.m. April 1. His shift was over, and he heard his teammates responding to a nearby police chase. He joined the pursuit. Moments later, gunfire erupted at the end of the pursuit in Goodbee.

Nail was shot in the abdomen.

Deputies rushed him to the hospital, where he underwent surgery.

He was later released to begin what he says will be a long road to recovery.

“I feel like it’s my obligation to get better. I have a job waiting on me, and I can’t wait to get back out there and do it," he said.

Nail said he decided to pull back out of his driveway and help his fellow officers because it's his job, and it has always been his personal mission to help others. That is why he joined the military and chose a career in law enforcement.

"There’s people out there that go above and beyond. That's what I wanted to be. I wanted to be out there," Nail said.

Despite a deputy’s worst nightmare becoming his reality, he plans to put on the badge again, after letting the healing process run its course.